Large-scale fire service in Hohenems (Vorarlberg): Late Wednesday afternoon, the fire brigade was called to a forest fire directly below the Staufenspitze, which quickly spread to 100 square meters. Extinguishing the fire proved to be very difficult in the rocky, difficult to access terrain. Apparently the fire was started by a grill that was not properly extinguished.
Shortly after 6 p.m., the fire brigade received an alarm that a fire had broken out on a mountain meadow directly below the Staufenspitze. At first it was only five square meters, but the wind quickly spread the flames to the forest. Embers flew under the fire onto a meadow and started a fire there as well.
According to Martin Kisser, superintendent of the Dornbirn district fire brigade, two areas of 50 square meters each were affected. To get to the area, firefighters first had to walk for 15 minutes. “In the rocky terrain that is very difficult to access, extinguishing the fire was anything but easy. Our tactic was to make as many helicopter rides as possible until nightfall and put out the fire if we wanted to,” Kisser told the Krone.
But the flames were also extinguished directly in the fire area. The Dornbirn, Hohenems, Altach and Egg fire brigades received support from the mountain rescue service. Their troops rappelled down the slope using steel cables, putting an end to cinders in the wall. To ensure their work, two plastic containers, each with a capacity of 1000 liters, and a water bag with 350 liters of water were flown up the mountain.
However, there was another obstacle during the extinguishing work: “The flames eat into the ground in the heavily split rock. The earth therefore had to be dug up by hand,” the district fire inspector explained the drama of the fire. In the darkness, the mission was finally terminated. The fire service has viewed the area with a drone with a thermal imaging camera and found it safe.
However, when dismantling the extinguishers Thursday morning, the emergency services discovered other embers in crevices that were not visible on the thermal images. In the morning, the operation finally came to an end. A total of 145 people, the flight police and a private helicopter were involved in the extinguishing work.
According to the police, the fire was started by a barbecue area that was not properly extinguished. The carefree “barbecue enthusiasts” are currently being sought. Police asked the public for information on Thursday.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
